Tharman’s Presidency Should Be a Turning Point in the Non-Chinese PM Conversation

The landslide win of President-elect Tharman Shanmugaratnam in the presidential elections has been dissected many times over. Mr Tharman’s vote share was evidence that he’d won the hearts of a large swathe of Singapore’s population, a majority of which belonged to a different race than his. In the days since his victory, though, there has been some talk about what this election showing means for the future of another important role in Singapore’s administration: the PM.  As NTU Asst Prof Walid Jumblatt asked DPM Heng back in 2019: “Is it Singapore who is not ready for a non-Chinese prime minister, or is it the PAP (People’s Action Party) who is not ready for a non-Chinese prime minister?”

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